FRISCO - FC Dallas is at an attacking crossroads.
On one hand, their star creator is fully healthy after missing the opening half of the season injured. On the other, in the last few weeks, they’re playing better without Mauro Diaz on the field.
And that’s not a bad thing.
“Mauro is doing some work to put himself in a good rhythm and I know we all want it to happen right now and we’re conscious about the process and it’s going to happen,” head coach Oscar Pareja said, noting that the club is brining him along to help when they need him most in the months of October and November. “We’re going to find that right moment and we’re taking our right steps with him in order to put him in the place where he can give us his best.”
In other words, patience is key with the Magician - opting to have him his best down the stretch than forcing him along at a quicker pace.
“He’s returning. He’s gaining rhythm, which is fundamental. What happened to him wasn’t an easy injury to recover from, but he’s recovering it in the best way possible,” Maxi Urruti said of his fellow Argentine. “We know he’s an important player, he’s shown his importance from the moment he arrived on this team. We hope that he gets his rhythm and he’s able to demonstrate how great of a player he is.”
Over the last four matches since the Gold Cup break, all three FC Dallas goals have come without Diaz on the field. Two more potential goals called back because of Video Review also came with him on the bench.
After not traveling a few weeks ago to Montreal, Diaz started the next two matches, and had two sub-par performances. The solution for the short-term might be shorter appearances and building little by little. Just look at the growth in pass frequency and accuracy with a lesser load in minutes:
| Opp. | Mins. | Passes/Min. | Pass Accuracy | Chances Created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. VAN | 63 | 0.46 | 69% | 2 |
| at PHI | 45 | 0.47 | 76.2% | 1 |
| vs. COL | 10 | 1.10 | 81.8% | 1 |
“Mauro is definitely a special player and he’s a guy if you give an inch of space, he’ll kill you,” Kellyn Acosta said. “I think he’s still finding his rhythm, but you can still see spurts where he has that magic. We’re a different team with Mauro on the field.”
